In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism - Hardcover

9781682617922: In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism
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Religion can be both inspiring and distressing. And many critiques of it are simultaneously compelling and dubious. Shay examines atheist arguments with a refreshing modern eye in this comprehensive look at our most fundamental questions about faith and reason.

Prominent atheists claim the Bible is a racist text. Yet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. read it daily. Then again, so did many ardent segregationists. Some atheists claim religion serves to oppress the masses. Yet the classic text of the French Revolution, What is the Third Estate?, was written by a priest.  On the other hand, the revolutionaries ended up banning religion. What do we make of religion’s confusing role in history? 

And what of religion’s relationship to science? Some scientists claim that we have no free will. Others argue that advances in neurobiology and physics disprove determinism. As for whispering to the universe, an absurd habit say the skeptics. Yet prayer is a transformative practice for millions.

This book explores the most common atheist critiques of the Bible and religion, incorporating Jewish, Christian, and Muslim voices. The result is a fresh, modern re-evaluation of religion and of atheism.   

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From the Author:
Scott A. Shay has had a successful business career spanning Wall Street, private equity, venture capital, and banking. He co-founded Signature Bank of New York and has served as its Chairman since its formation. He has been a provocative commentator on many financial issues, including among others, how the banking system should best function to help society, the implications of a cashless world, and tax reform. Scott called for the re-imposition of Glass-Steagall and breaking up the big banks at a TEDx talk at the NY Stock Exchange in 2012. Throughout his life, he has been a student of religion and how religion ought to apply to the world outside of the synagogue, church, or mosque. In addition to authoring articles relating to the Jewish community, Scott authored the best-selling Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry (Second Edition, Devora 2008).
Review:
"I can't think of another book with which I disagree so strongly that has engaged me as deeply as this one. Scott Shay makes the case for religious belief with deep scholarship, clear logic and great civility. It would be wonderful if other advocates on both sides would take up this discourse in a similarly civil manner." -- Barney Frank, Former Member of the House of Representatives

"In Good Faith is an extraordinary and beautifully written book, which offers an important new perspective. In Good Faith set the stage for a fruitful dialogue between believers and nonbelievers in the discussion of faith and scientific rationality. Scott Shay argues that monotheists and atheists can be on the same side and combat idolatry together. His definition of idolatry as a dangerous deification of finite beings and the ideas clarifies that modern rational critiques of religion can actually be helpful in clearing monotheism of its idolatrous streams." -- Monsignor Tomas Halik, Professor of Sociology, Charles University and President of Czech Christian Academy

"This book is an inspired and profound exposition on the pitfalls of the idolatries of our age. What a remarkable manifesto on the rationality and indeed the beauty of faith as well as the ugliness and betrayals of idolatry! I hope that my fellow Muslims will give this book a fair hearing. It will only strengthen their own faith in the One and Only God who we all worship." -- Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl, UCLA School of Law

"Sit down with Shay as he speaks of his faith, and the reason he is a serious Jew. Here is an honest account of how a modern person finds meaning and purpose in a thoughtful consideration of ancient texts." -- Professor Laurie Zoloth, Dean, The University of Chicago Divinity School

"Scott Shay has written a vigorous, well-informed and highly readable defense of faith in a secular age. Impressive in its scope and depth, it should be read by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, as well as skeptics, for they will find in it the reflective wisdom of one who has thought long and hard about the human struggle against idolatry in all its forms." -- Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Professor of Law and Ethics, Kings College

"Friedrich Schleiemacher's On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers (1799) took on the major arguments of the enlightened intelligentsia of his day. He, thereby revived Christianity and enabled it to thrive in the rise of reason and science. So Schleiemacher is known as the father of modern theology. Scott Shay's In Good Faith has picked up that historic baton and bridges believers with non-believers, of all religious persuasions, into a compelling 21st century story about why faith matters for healthy human communities today." -- Professor Dwight N. Hopkins, University of Chicago Divinity School

"In Good Faith is a tour-de-force! Scott Shay considers a wide array of scholarly and popular arguments, sources, narratives, and conversations regarding religion, morality, and text in making a modern case for the plausibility and rationality of religion. In reading through its pages, I felt I was examining a 21st Century companion to Schleiermacher's classic On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultural Despisers. Written in a clear and engaging fashion, In Good Faith will deservedly capture the attention of thoughtful persons interested in questions of faith and doubt, good and evil. I recommend highly!"  -- Rabbi David Ellenson, Chancellor Emeritus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

"Scott Shay invites you to a friendly but serious conversation with someone who is honest, learned, and sincere on a topic that requires far more nuanced exchanges than mere tweets and sound bites at a time when idolaters, both atheists and monotheists, are misusing and misrepresenting religions, misinterpreting and misappropriating the Bible to further their base ambitions while ignoring God's rational and compassionate visions for humanity and the world that are articulated in the Bible and practiced and valued by rational and modern believers. Whether one is a skeptic, Jew, Christian, Muslim, atheist, humanist, spiritual but not religious, or non-affiliate, you are in for an intellectual and spiritual treat if you dare to be open and honest about your own rationale for and experience of your belief or unbelief."  -- Professor Uriah Y. Kim, Dean of Graduate Theological Union

"Scott Shay, in a deeply personal, yet academically rigorous study, shows why it is rational to believe in God, especially in this modern era. Modernity is deeply grounded in the great monotheistic religions, which created and inspired societal structures that value equality, justice, morality, ethics and care for the needy. This book defends those foundations against the common atheist argument that our modern values have emerged from secularism. Shay demonstrates why both faith and reason are necessary in our era. Whether from the political left or right, deeply religious or secular, readers will benefit from Shay's insights as to how good faith can help heal our fractured society." -- Patrick McHenry, Congressman, North Carolina

In Good Faith is written with sincerity, honesty and intelligence. The book presents ideas in a straightforward manner without overbearing theological and philosophical language and without a dogmatic tone. In Good Faith reveals a depth of knowledge by Shay of the religious situation in contemporary Western Society and especially in America. I hope that many readers take advantage of this resource. They will be intellectually rewarded for having done so." -- Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Studies, The George Washington University

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  • PublisherPost Hill Press
  • Publication date2018
  • ISBN 10 1682617920
  • ISBN 13 9781682617922
  • BindingHardcover
  • Number of pages560
  • Rating

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Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. Religion can be both inspiring and distressing. And many critiques of it are simultaneously compelling and dubious. Shay examines atheist arguments with a refreshing modern eye in this comprehensive look at our most fundamental questions about faith and reason.At the heart of In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism is the enduring question of the value of living a religious life. The book begins over a sushi dinner, when Scott Shays business acquaintance, a self-proclaimed atheist, ridicules belief in God and places scientific progress as our guidepost for improving the world. Shay chooses not to defend God over appetizers; instead, he has shared his response in what he calls a book on rational belief in God. The book covers forty-one chapters, broken down into six parts, all of which explore the common arguments of atheists. Shay begins by exploring the difference between monotheism and idolatry, highlighting how the modern model for moral behavior is built on the Abrahamic faiths. Idolatry, he claims, is the enemy of morality and the practice against which atheists should direct their criticism, as it leads to the widespread exploitation of the many by the deified few. Monotheism as reflected in the Bible, Shay contends, provided nothing less than a template for a radical revolution in how man related to God, other men, and the world. In Good Faith continues with a discussion of the value of free will, though Shay admits it opens the door to evil. In section four, Shay questions the challenge to prove or disprove Gods existence and role in creation; in section five, he discusses the historical accuracy of the Bible. In the books final section, Shay suggests that both rejection and acceptance of Gods existence require a leap of faith. Recognizing that hes most comfortable with the Hebrew Bible and the Jewish tradition, Shay sought out Muslim and Christian thought leaders in order to better understand how the other Abrahamic religions might answer the questions raised in his book. Excerpts from these conversations, which reveal an extraordinary depth of religious conviction, enhance Shays arguments in favor of religion. In Good Faith is a fresh reworking of a perennially challenging subject. Shays thoughtful and accessible writing style will make the book engaging to a wide variety of readers. Jonathan Fass, Chief Operating Officer of Jewish Family Service (Stamford, CT), for the National Jewish Book Awards, Jewish Book Council Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781682617922

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